Study: High School football participation dropping in North Carolina
High School Sports Huddle
David Thompson, Asheville Citizen Times Published 11:04 a.m. ET Aug. 27, 2019
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Participation in high school sports has declined for the first time in 30 years, according to a study by the National Federation of State High School Associations.
In the 2018-19 school year, there was a decline of 43,395 from the year prior, according to the NFHS’s annual High School Athletics Participation Survey.
More: Participation in High School Sports Registers First Decline in 30 Years
The last time the report found a decline was 1988-89.
11-player football and basketball, the country's two most popular sports, saw the largest overall decline.
Football participation decreasing in North Carolina
Boys 11-player football touched its lowest mark since the 1999-2000 school year. The study found that 1,006,013 boys participated in it, almost 31,000 fewer than 2017-18.
The study found participation in boys 11-player football dropped in 44 of the 51 states counted, which includes North Carolina.
Data shows 26,969 students participated in football in North Carolina during the fall of 2018, a drop of 5.7 percent from the fall of 2017. In the last five years, participation in football has declined 9.5 percent in high school football and almost 25 percent over the last decade.
However, boys six-, eight- and nine-player football teams expanded. There were 156 more schools nationally that offered these forms of the sport, and about 1,600 more participants overall.
Girls 11-player football has doubled over the past 10 years.
“The survey certainly confirms that schools are not dropping the sport of football, which is great news,” NFHS executive director Karissa Niehoff said in a statement. “Certainly, we are concerned about the reduction in the number of boys involved in the 11-player game but are thrilled that states are finding other options by starting 6-player or 8-player football in situations where the numbers have declined.”
A number of girls sports in North Carolina have also witnessed declines in participation. Girls basketball participation continues to decline - this year by 3.3 percent - dropping to 7,649 participants last year.
Almost 24,000 fewer students participated in basketball last year, and the girls total of about 399,000 is the lowest since the 1992-93 school year.
Girls cross country in N.C, however, saw a large spike of 45.3 percent, growing from 5,520 to 7,627 participant in a year.
North Carolina is 12th nationally in terms of high school athletic participation, but the overall number of participants dropped from 203,474 to 198,252 for the 2016-17 school year to 2017-18.
High School Sports Huddle
David Thompson, Asheville Citizen Times Published 11:04 a.m. ET Aug. 27, 2019
CLOSE
Participation in high school sports has declined for the first time in 30 years, according to a study by the National Federation of State High School Associations.
In the 2018-19 school year, there was a decline of 43,395 from the year prior, according to the NFHS’s annual High School Athletics Participation Survey.
More: Participation in High School Sports Registers First Decline in 30 Years
The last time the report found a decline was 1988-89.
11-player football and basketball, the country's two most popular sports, saw the largest overall decline.
Football participation decreasing in North Carolina
Boys 11-player football touched its lowest mark since the 1999-2000 school year. The study found that 1,006,013 boys participated in it, almost 31,000 fewer than 2017-18.
The study found participation in boys 11-player football dropped in 44 of the 51 states counted, which includes North Carolina.
Data shows 26,969 students participated in football in North Carolina during the fall of 2018, a drop of 5.7 percent from the fall of 2017. In the last five years, participation in football has declined 9.5 percent in high school football and almost 25 percent over the last decade.
However, boys six-, eight- and nine-player football teams expanded. There were 156 more schools nationally that offered these forms of the sport, and about 1,600 more participants overall.
Girls 11-player football has doubled over the past 10 years.
“The survey certainly confirms that schools are not dropping the sport of football, which is great news,” NFHS executive director Karissa Niehoff said in a statement. “Certainly, we are concerned about the reduction in the number of boys involved in the 11-player game but are thrilled that states are finding other options by starting 6-player or 8-player football in situations where the numbers have declined.”
A number of girls sports in North Carolina have also witnessed declines in participation. Girls basketball participation continues to decline - this year by 3.3 percent - dropping to 7,649 participants last year.
Almost 24,000 fewer students participated in basketball last year, and the girls total of about 399,000 is the lowest since the 1992-93 school year.
Girls cross country in N.C, however, saw a large spike of 45.3 percent, growing from 5,520 to 7,627 participant in a year.
North Carolina is 12th nationally in terms of high school athletic participation, but the overall number of participants dropped from 203,474 to 198,252 for the 2016-17 school year to 2017-18.
